What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

Mount Desert has the most expensive homes ($522k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Hope	Mount Desert
People
Population	1,748Highest	1,671Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%	+4.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME
	Mount Desert and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%	14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Hope and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.1%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	64.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Mount Desert and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,766±$6kLowest 16% above ME	$92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME
	Mount Desert and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,400±$33kLowest 26% above ME	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,219±$182Lowest 7% above ME	$1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME
	Mount Desert and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,842Highest 27% above ME	$3,512Lowest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±38.7Highest ME: 48.4%	33.9%±31.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Hope and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	7.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	84.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 19% below ME	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	18.3%±10.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.1%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mount Desert and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Hope Public Schools	Mount Desert Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.